Malak
' '"There's nobody left who remembers who I was before. But they'll remember Malak. I'll make sure of that." : - Malak Malak was a human male and one of the Revanchists. As Revan's second in command, Malak proved an intelligent leader and loyal student. However, he was seemingly slain by the Knights of Ren during their final stand against ADVENT. History Before his involvement with the Mandalorian conflict, Alek was a young boy living in a Mandalorian settlement who had many friends. His father was quite proud of his son, and as a member of Mandalore's military taught Alek some skills and how to be a good thinker in battle; he also tried to teach the boy of the attrocities of war, believing the best way to win was without a fight at all. This take on war was incomprehensible to the child, who didn't understand war's horror and simply desired to be a soldier someday. Alek's peaceful life came to an end when he was about the age of 8; he fled home to escape an attack by ADVENT, who were engaging their enemies in battle, with his village caught accidentally in the crossfire. Alek would come to blame ADVENT for the loss of his family and his home, but found his determination weak and could not summon the strength to participate in the fight. That changed when he and other survivors in situations similar to his witnessed the destruction of another Mandalorian village. A man had arrived to late to save the people, his people, and found the mask of a female who defied those responsible, The Knights of Ren. The man, known as Revan, donned the mask and swore to bring down ADVENT and the Knights, and ended up rallying Alek and the other survivors into a group of combatants calling themselves "The Revanchists." When this occurred, Alek took on the new name "Malak." Malak, in this sense, became a student of Revan, demonstrating potential in the use of the Force and training with the others. He became a leader for the X-COM project, the last line of rebellion against ADVENT. Malak proved an intelligent thinker in the ways of warfare, helping contribute to the small successes the project had against ADVENT. Due to this, and his greater skill in Force power and superior Varja combat, he became Revan's second in command and closest friend, proving immensely loyal. Together he and Meetra Surik, another skilled Revanchist who had a brilliant mind and great power, advised Revan in tactics and were a part in X-COM's limited success. Unfortunately, they had joined the conflict too late to change the outcome; despite their best efforts, ADVENT garnered more and more support, and as the Knights of Ren changed to a less violent force and Mandalore began leaning towards surrender, Malak grew frustrated with their inability to change the situation; a fury quelled only by Revan's patience and insistance that they would win. The Revanchists were forced to hide out in Revan's old village, which was only recently beginning repopulation, after the X-COM Project experienced defeat and ADVENT claimed victory over Mandalore. They attempted to rally the new villagers into a secret sect of rebellion, to covertly hit weak points in ADVENT's force. The Knights of Ren then arrived with a powerful strike team, in response to the limited success the covert hits had. Malak had contributed in forming a militia from the villagers, being their de-facto commander; ultimately, the militia experienced defeat against ADVENT's superior trained soldiers and greater number, though were not killed. As the viscount Kylo Ren announced to the village that their surrender would mean an end to the seemless death and uneccessary destruction, the villagers accepted and left the Revanchists alone as the last opposition. Malak, enfuriated by this betrayal of the people he risked his life to protect, was one of the first to engage the Knights of Ren in combat; though he was ferocious and skilled, it would not be enough, though he lasted longer than the other Revanchists. He was struck down by the Knights, watching as the rest of his allies died and Revan made a last stand before his thoughts faded away. He is believed dead by ADVENT and the Knights of Ren. Personality Before he was found by Revan, Malak possessed an optimistic sense of justice, a trait he would end up sharing with his master. He found Mandalore's lacking initiative against the ADVENT coalition as an unfortunate weakness that contributed to the loss of his home; however, Malak's own fear of taking any action himself served to anger him, and he developed a self hatred for being as weak as the kingdom whose weakness he loathed. When talking with his fellow Revanchists, in particular Meetra Surik, he explained that "Malak" was more than just a name to him—it was what he felt he had been born to be. After ADVENT had destroyed his life, Malak had answered to names that others gave him and were not his own because he had not cared; Malak thought that because his home was gone, it did not matter who he was. After becoming Malak, however, he began to believe that his identity did indeed matter because there was nobody left who knew him as Alek. He vowed that people would remember his "Malak" identity When he found Revan, he was inspired to rise up against ADVENT, having been encouraged by Revan's charisma. Malak suddenly showed intense bravery, wishing to take matters against ADVENT directly and immediately. He had an open mind in his training with Revan, learning quickly of applications of Force powers and Varja combat, following the way of the Guardian in an aggressive approach to take down his enemies. As a leader in the X-COM Project's resistance against ADVENT, Malak showed a great strategic mind and an inhuman valor that greatly inspired his fellow fighters; While many in the X-COM Project credited Revan's military strategies for their limited success during the war, other individuals were quick to point out Malak's fierce courage and relentless fury at the forefront of every battle as the key to the victory. Malak, despite his good nature and noble cause, was regarded as an aggressive person even outside of war. He was known to grow frustrated quite easily, and though he was a tactical genius, Malak was also prone to rushing into a dangerous situation with little regard for his own personal safety. He favored plans that lead to the utter destruction of his enemies, leaving nothing behind to guarantee success, often overwhelmingly. Malak's ideas on how the X-COM Project should pursue their goals often clashed with that of more calm and patient Revanchists, including his close friend Meetra Surik, a fury that could only be quelled by Revan's resolve. Malak was quite loyal to his cause, and hated the very concept of betrayal; he regarded his soldiers in the X-COM project as the finest men and women in the galaxy, due not only to their loyalty to his command but to the ideals of freedom they strove to attain for Mandalore as a whole. This helped him be proud of them and inspired him to increase their morale, forming a powerful loop as his bravery and ferocity inspired them to succeed. This he had tried to recreate with the village militia for the Revanchist's last stand against the Knights of Ren; however, upon Kylo Ren's offer for a comfortable surrender to them and an end to the fight, and that ADVENT had become the new force of Mandalore that they could now be inspired to loyally follow, the militia chose to abandon the Revanchists to their fate of defeat. This betrayal had coupled with his conflict of his father's belief in winning a war without fighting; seeing his father's philosophy as weak due to combat being a necessity for victory, and yet somehow manifesting as the end result here despite being his personal defeat, Malak grew infuriated at multiple losses. He felt not only betrayed by his militia, but by his father and the very state of Mandalore. Believing the Revanchists as his last hope, he fought valiantly against the Knights, but when finally defeated, saw that his last dreams had died away along with his comrades. Appearance Malak was a light-skinned man whose height daunted that of most human males; he tended to intimidate his peers and enemies alike due to his tall stature. Having been born with natural black hair, he ended up shaving his head and sporting two blue tattoos sometime after he left his home and before he found Revan. He originally wore red-colored cloathing as was the custom of his home on Mandalore; he would continue to wear this style up to becoming a Revanchist, and this tradition lived on even in the tunic he wore as Revan's student, the same style as a guardian outfit but red in color with his boots and gauntlets in a darker shade of red. While fighting alongside his allies and the X-COM Project, he wore a suit of orange light armor with a black undersuit. He later wore a battle version of his red apprentice tunic, sporting red-colored light armor without gloves, complete with a cape. This was his costume during his final stand against the Knights of Ren. Powers/Abilities Malak was a talented swordsman, having initially learned from his father and showing a knack for dueling. He later became one of the finest sword users in the Revanchists, being bested only by Revan's superior experience and even showing hints of one day becoming more skilled than Revan. He fought in an aggressive, one-handed style. His Sword skill was great enough that he often helped his fellow Revanchists in their training, and was a contribution to his long lasting against the Knights of Ren. Malak achieved significant power during his time with Revan, having great potential in his future. He adapted the way of the Guardian, and as such developed mostly combative Force powers tuned for offensive results. Malak learned to use the Force to block out pain, enabling him to last in a lengthy engagement even after sustaining multiple wounds, which contributed to his longer lasting against the Knights of Ren than his other companions; he bolstered this pain tolerance with Force shielding to resist attacks. He demonstrated the ability to telekinetically hurl his varja blade at enemies from a distance, showing such strength to be able to spear enemies with incredible speed. He could also create a small whirlwind of energy that would encircle a single target. Malak was also able to stun a few foes or freeze an individual fully in stasis. He was proficient in using the Force to augment his speed, and was able to leap large distances in order to reach his enemy. Malak could use a broad and highly concentrated push with the Force, sending several opponents flying a significant distance or to impact a wall behind them with considerable damage. Equipment Malak constructed a blue-bladed Varja under Revan's tutelage, as per the way of the Guardian. It was built for combat, to meet his enemies aggressively and end a conflict by fighting his foes. Malak wore two suits of armor during his participation in the Mandalorian civil war. His first was medium armor, which was made flexible and maneuverable but had reasonable protection; it consisted of a black undersuit covered by segments of thick orange medium armor that bolstered his impressive strength and constitution. He later wore Red-colored Light Armor that provided limited resistance to attacks, sacrificing heavy plates for protection or energy shielding for further resistance in exchange for speed and maneuverability, often compensating for his lack of defense with Force augmentation to increase his defense. Relationships Family * '''Malak's Father: '''Malak's initial teacher in war and battle skills, this man was once a great inspiration for the young fighter. His impression left on Malak resulted in a ferocious warrior who was a quick learner, an impressive swordsman, a brilliant strategist that contributed to X-COM's limited success, and a tremendous inspiration for the men that he commanded in battle. Revanchists * '''Revan: '''Malak's teacher in the ways of the Force and his leader in the Revanchists. Malak became a loyal soldier for Revan, demonstrating such ability that he ended up being the Revanchist's second in command. Revan and Malak came to regard each other as great friends, forged into weapons of war that were born under the same terrible circumstance. His aggression, which grew greater over time as their limited success did not outweigh the cost of their defeats, could only be tempered by Revan's patience and determination. He was loyal to Revan to the very end, believing his master as the last thing worth believing in when he felt abandoned by his family and his people. * '''Meetra Surik: '''Another Revanchist that Malak came to befriend. Whilist his skill with a varja was superior to hers that he felt made him superior in a playful manner, her power in the Force was greater than his, and so the pair often assisted each other, he with her blade and her with his power. She demonstrated a tactical mind when it came to war, so much that she contributed to the aid of X-COM almost as much as Revan and Malak. She advocated for more calm, peaceful strategies to help preserve resources and lives, which often conflicted with Malak's direct, aggressive approach. Despite their conflict which sometimes resulted in a bout of words, the two remained loyal to each other and in the end were great allies. ADVENT Malak regarded this faction as a terrible enemy that needed to be utterly destroyed instead of merely defeated or conquered. This was due to his personal losses at their hands. Gallery (To be added) Trivia (To be added) Category:Characters Category:Star Wars Category:Male Category:Human